May 4, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



589 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



Hollyhocks should now be planted 

 out in their permanent flowering 

 quarters and, while at it, may as well 

 be staked now as later. Leave at least 

 three feet between the rows and room 

 for the plant in the rows to develop 

 individually perfect. 



All perennials intended for out door 

 planting should be set out without de- 

 lay if the work is not already done. 

 Except for planting in mixed borders 

 it is more convenient as well as con- 

 ducive to more pleasing results in gen- 

 eral effect when the plants are in 

 bloom, to plant the different kinds by 

 themselves. A little thought now 

 when planting will enable the planter 

 to make a presentable apjiearance 

 with this class of plants all through 

 the season without the eye sores some- 

 times noticeable on account of inju- 

 dicious planting. A front row all of 

 one kind may be so selected as to take 

 the place to all appearance formerly 

 occupied by the back row of another 

 kind. 



There are very few pla<;es where 

 there are no spots or objects that 

 would not be materially improved by 

 the plajiting of trailing or creeping 

 vines or roses. Roses are especially 

 cheerful v/hen in bloom on wood grow • 

 ing unhindered on old fences, up 

 a.gainst boulders, the sides of ugly 

 buildings and many other equally ob- 

 jectionable features which when cov- 

 ered as suggested are a delight to the 

 eye. 



The appearance of the paths and 

 roads on private estates as well as 

 those of parks and other public places 

 have a great deal to do, one way or 

 the other, with the impression made 

 as to their well kept condition. It 

 is not only desirable that roads and 

 paths should be so constructed as to 

 make walkin.g easy and pleasant, but 

 a freedom from weeds and a ntat ap- 

 pearance of the edges only slightly 

 elevated above the surface will add 

 greatly to a reputation for tidiness, 

 and ?ive catise for appreciation out 

 of proportion to the trouble involved. 

 There are few things more annoying 

 and objectionable than dead and 

 crumbling bianehes on trees; these 

 should be removed without tail be- 

 fore summer, likewise dead trees un- 

 less as stumps thev are intended to 

 be made ornamental by the planting 

 of vines. A dead tree is much more 

 unpleasantly noticeable than the ab- 

 sence of a tree. 



Now is the time when many plant 

 privet for hedges. When an extra 

 strong hedge almost fence-like in ob- 

 structiveness Is desirable the plants 

 should be set in a double row in a 

 trench dug the proper ilepth for the 

 root of the jdant. The plants in one 

 row should PU the vacant spaces be- 

 tween those of the other row. The 

 roots of privet are great feeders and 

 for that rea'^on the soil should be rich 

 or made so by the addition of manure 

 when planting. After the plants are 

 all in they will in all probability 

 have a somewhat irregtilar appearance; 

 this I'an be remedied, and that with 

 beneficial results in the matter of 

 more robust growth from the base, if 

 all the plants are clipped back. 



When both deciduous and ever- 

 green trees or shrubs are on the docket 

 for planting it will be much better 

 to give first attention to those that 

 are deciduous, leaving the others until 

 the last. When planting in places 



where the wind blows with terrific 

 force and monotonous frequency it is 

 unreasonable to suppose that one frail 

 tree v/ill be able to stand nobly up 

 against it alone. Thus it would seem 

 folly to plant young isolate specimens 

 in such places. Better, by far, plant 

 a goodly number comfortably in groups 

 and if deciduous trees are desirable 

 a guard composed of white spruce or 

 some other equally hard evergreen 

 will protect them until they gradually 

 get hardened to climatic conditions. 

 Wind breaks such as suggested need 

 not of necessity have the appearance 

 of being there for any other purpose 

 than that of their own ornamental 

 usefulness, if planted in proper ar- 

 rangement. 



SHRUB CHAT. 



Privet rooted from last year's wood 

 makes the strongest plants, but that 

 is by no means the only method of 

 propagation. Through the summer 

 good cuttings in abundance may be 

 rooted easily when set in any kind of 

 soil, but leafmottld preferably, in a 

 shady situation. The cuttings will 

 root in about three weeks, when they 

 should be lifted and planted out in 

 nursery rows. 



Acuba Japonica will not live out 

 doors through a northern winter, but 

 it will hold its foliage when kept under 

 cover in a cold shed or store bouse. 



Andromeda polifolia is a handsome 

 little shrub, hardy as can be, with 

 little nodding clusters of pink or white 

 flowers in spring. 



The tree box stands out doors per- 

 fectly well all winter and considering 

 their tisefulness as decorative speci- 

 mens, their increase in popular favor 

 'is not surprising. 



Ligustrina Pekinensis pendula is the 

 Chinese weeping lilac. It has large 

 heads of white flowers. 



Among the shrubs suitable for shady 

 places may be noted the foUowiiig: 

 Beiberis in variety, Clethra alnifolia, 

 dentzia. privet, hyperictim. kalmia, 

 Pyrus Japonica, rhododendrons, ruhus. 

 laurus, sassafras, mahonia. Spirea 

 Bumalda, itea, cornus in variety. 



THE GRAPE HYACINTH. 



Editor HORTICULTURE. 



I was much interesfed in the articl'3 

 on the grape hyacinth by Mr. Cam- 

 eron. We .see too little of this gem. I 

 remember when some fifteen years 

 ago with a friend from the Experiment 

 station, 1<ew Brunswick, N. J., I came 

 across a patch of about one-half acre, 

 on the old "Evans" place just south 

 of the city limits. This is an old 

 manor residence and had been held 

 by the same family over two hundred 

 years. We asked the superintendent 

 to tell us about it. He said he had 

 been there thirty years and that patch 

 was there when he came, only not so 

 large. It was the common blue 

 Muscari bothryoides. We could find 

 no record of when it was planted. 

 It had complete possession of the 

 place and was a sight never to 

 be forgotten. It received no care, 

 only neglect, the proprietors being 

 very old. were hardly aware of 

 its existence. It shows that it 

 is perfectly hardy here and that 

 under favorable circumstances, it will 

 Increase and take full possession, 

 being there almost like grass in oths.' 

 places. EDW. REAGAN, 



Morristown, N. J. 



NOTES ON'NEW ENGLISH CARNA- 

 TIONS. 



Kditor HORTICULTURE: 



I noticed in a recent issue of HOR- 

 TICULTURE a description of several 

 of my new seedling carnations. There 

 is. however, an error, probably cleri- 

 cal, in what your correspondent says 

 regarding the size of "Mrs. H. Bur- 

 nett," which he describes as being 

 from 2 inches to 2 1-2 inches across. 

 The average size of the blooms ex- 

 hibited at the show of the Winter- 

 Flowering Carnation Society was 

 3 1-4 to 3 1-2 inches ; it is only inferior 

 in size to Enchantress and quite 

 eclipses it in color. It beat Enchant- 

 ress in the class for 36 blooms, light 

 pink, both at the show held on Decem- 

 ber -4 and also March 13, and was cer- 

 tainly admired more than any other 

 carnation there. 



As to its keeping qualities I may 

 mention it is infinitely superior to 

 Enchantress in that respect. Mr. A. 

 Smith, who raised Britannia, begged a 

 bloom of it on March 13th, which was 

 cut on March 10th, travelled 200 miles 

 on March 12 and had stayed in a hot 

 conservatory all day on the 13th. He 

 wrote me on April 1: "The bloom of 

 Mrs. H. Burnett you gave me lasted 

 till yesterday (March 31) which 

 speaks well for its lasting qualities!" 

 I think it does. Three weeks after 

 being cut is pretty good, isn't it? You 

 in America should be able to do this 

 variety splendidly during the winter, 

 where you have so much more sun 

 than we do. 



Marmion is not a Malmaison, as 

 stated by your correspondent, but a 

 seedling from Prosperity, the other 

 plant being Mrs. Lawson, though it 

 has the Malmaison habit rather; it is, 

 however, a perpetual flowering carna- 

 tion of the largest size — four inches 

 across, with as strong a clove fra- 

 grance as a Malmaison. I should im- 

 agine it rather resembles Toreador, 

 which I believe was raised from the 

 same cross. It is a strictly fancy car- 

 nation, and would, I think, quite out- 

 class Prosperity in your country, ex- 

 cept perhaps as regards freedom — it 

 being a slow grower. 



I should call Mikado more of a heli- 

 otrope than a "dull slaty purple." It 

 is either liked very much indeed, or 

 not admired at all. It is a good doer, 

 very free, and averages over three 

 inches and has a strong clove fra- 

 grance. 



Yours faithfully, 



H. BURNETT. 



Guernsey, England. 



MADISON (N. J.) NOTES. 

 Arthur Herrington, superintendent 

 of Florham Park, contemplates run- 

 ning two or three houses of roses this 

 season in the "Afton Greenhouses." 

 Richmond, Queen Beatrice and Ameri- 

 ci'.n Beauty will probably be his 

 choices. The rose growers of Madi- 

 son, are now cutting in quantity fine 

 long-stemmed roses, but prices are not 

 flattering, and the fact that last win- 

 ter was the poorest in their history, 

 on account of the unfavorable 

 weather, tends to keep their cash ac- 

 count below what was looked for. 

 Many are going to devote some of 

 their s|iace to carnations this year. 



